This was a very interesting book – I have read quite a lot of books about women in the Middle East so not a lot was surprising; but I think it is important to share this information with people who might not be so aware of it.

However, I do think this book should be read with a balance. For example, “Guests of the Sheik” which is about an American woman living in an Iraqi community. Not all women rail against the veil, and many find a freedom in living outside of the eyes of the men, and have close and happy female communities, and indeed close and happy marriages. Not all arranged marriages are unhappy, just as not all love marriages are happy. And at the moment, I find it hard to criticise other countries and cultures when our police gun innocent people down at Tube stations and my friend’s Muslim mum is frightened to leave her home in E London for fear of “my” people’s hatred and fear.

Sorry to rant there and this is not directed at any of the comments made by any other people on the ring! It’s important to celebrate our individual freedoms while working against those who seek to curtail freedom in any way.

Hm. I loved her Big Stone Gap series but this one, like Lucia, Lucia, was a little blah. They seem to follow a real pattern now – woman, independent, has some tragedies, marries (or doesn’t), goes to Italy and has an epiphany, comes back to the US, eventually dies. It was OK, but a bit samey and a very quick read. Oh well.

Well the bit I liked best was the Dewey Decimal bits at the beginning of each chapter (though the library I work in uses Library of Congress so I felt a bit guilty having it in my bag at work!). I thought it was very inconsequential and could have been a lot better. The heroine was interesting and not very nice, which was fine. I liked the descriptions of her completely open-plan flat but kept wondering where the toilet was! Also didn’t quite believe her protestations about not having baths but being OK with it – being a librarian can be a physical and dusty job!!

I felt a bit sick after reading lots of this in one go, like when you’ve eaten a lot of candyfloss. But it was OK and enjoyable enough – and with a title like that I just had to read it!

I was on the end of the ring and the originator didn’t want it back so I am taking it to the Birmingham meetup today.

OK I said this wasn’t going to be for personal stuff but I was “tagged” so I think I *have* to do this (BTW no-one of my friends on here hasn’t done this now so I can’t tag anyone back – hope this doesn’t bring me bad luck. Anyone reading this who wants to write a list- consider yourself tagged!)

1. I am 1/64th Spanish.

2. I studied Medieval Icelandic for 3 years.

3. I also know Latin, Old English and French. Gotta build up those modern languages.

4. I have run 2 Flora Light Challenge 5k races. One day I’ll do another. Honest.

5. I can’t ride a bicycle.

6. I met Matt on the internet.

7. I prefer to write in fountain pen. With coloured inks.

8. I didn’t learn to tell the time till I was 8.

9. I am going ginger, not grey.

10. I am average size (12), shoe size (6) and bra size (shh) so I can never find anything in the sales.

11. One of my legs is longer than the other. This has a bearing on factoid 5.

12. My eyesight prescription is -9.8, -9.9. One tenth of a point to go and I will get free eye tests!

13. All of my cats except Dotty have been named after literary characters.

14. I collect lizards

15. My favourite author is Iris Murdoch

16. I have what Matt would term “strange and unnatural” crushes on Steven Tyler and Dave Grohl

17. I used to have blue hair.

18. I got my ears pierced when I was 29.

19. I like chocolate in itself but I don’t like chocolate flavoured things (cake, mousse, icecream)

20. I don’t like scary films. Or books. Or programmes. Or anything. And when we say scary, we mean over 12 certificate.

A lovely, atmospheric book, set in an unnamed land of uncertainty and political oppression, seen through the eyes of a young boy. As befits a first novel, it’s a little patchy, but it’s generally lyrical and hold the interest.